The work: Tegan Hamilton, Anatomy XII, 2020. Hot sculpted glass, 32 x 20 x 14cm. Courtesy: the artist.
In a tradition established by Andreas Vesalius’s 16th century work De humani corporis fabrica, fragmented anatomical models have proliferated scientific and artistic depictions of the human form. The practice of Melbourne-based artist Tegan Hamilton lies within this ongoing visual conversation with the examined body, which is exemplified in her work Anatomy XII. Working with hand-blown glass, she allows her audience to gaze past flesh and tendons, revealing a fiery spirit within. By drawing on the medium’s broad range of ideological associations, Hamilton imbues this work with complex layers of meaning.
Glass is linked to medicinal practices in terms of functionality and sterility, and its transparency neatly connects with the revelatory nature of scientific enlightenment. The fluid nature of Hamilton’s chosen medium both corporally and aesthetically echoes the impermanence of the body. “The state of the body is perpetually in flux,” says Hamilton, “with fluids constantly being pumped around and cells dying and regenerating.” Anatomy XII is in essence a contemplation of the human form as an object of study, its secrets revealed without stripping it of its innate power to fascinate and beguile.